NORAD Keeping Close Eye on Air Alert Fighters

Adm. James Winnefeld, who has led both US Northern Command and NORAD since May, said Thursday he’s received assurances from Air Force leadership that there will be enough fighter tails to effectively execute the air sovereignty alert mission for the...

Breedlove Tapped for Vice Chief, Chandler Retiring

President Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements, for promotion to the grade of general to be USAF’s next vice chief of staff, service officials announced Thursday. He will replace Gen....

Shelton to Space Command, Newton for Assistant Vice Chief

Lt. Gen. William Shelton has been nominated by President Obama to receive a fourth star and take command of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo. Shelton has been assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air...

NORAD Chief Sees Value in Light Air Defense Aircraft

Adm. James Winnefeld, US Northern Command and NORAD boss, told reporters Thursday in Washington, D.C., that he is concerned about potential capability gaps in the domestic air defense mission, particularly against low and slow moving threats. “In terms of the...

B-1 Maxes Out with JASSMs

A B-1 from the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess, AFB, Tex., has demonstrated for the first time this bomber type’s ability to carry a full complement of 24 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles. “The mission was a success. Everything went as...

Rolling the Colors, Not the Mission

The Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations has been inactivated, with US Cyber Command subsuming its duties and personnel. The Pentagon established the task force, known as JTF-GNO, in 2004 under US Strategic Command. Its mission was to direct the operations...

Hanscom Officials Venture Out

Electronic Systems Center officials at Hanscom AFB, Mass., plan to demonstrate seven promising new technologies over the next year that might meet specific wartime needs. These technologies range from a system to help airmen quickly pull the most relevant information...

War Game Sales Banned on Bases

Airmen will not be able to buy the forthcoming version of the Medal of Honor first-person-shooter video game at base exchanges on Air Force installations, or on any US military base, for that matter. The Army and Air Force Exchange...

Langley F-15 to Grace Downtown Hampton

The Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, Va., is set to receive one of the F-15s that nearby Langley Air Force Base is shedding. The Daily Press of Newport News, Va., reports that engineering work is currently under way...

Laser Backpack Maps Interior Spaces

Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley, working under Air Force sponsorship, have developed a portable laser backpack system capable of mapping the interiors of buildings in 3-D. This “reconnoitering backpack” is designed to enable users to quickly replicate...

Air Sorties in SWA 090110

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Sept. 1, 2010 Sortie Type OND OEF OND/OEF Total YTD ISR 25 72 97 17,502 CAS/Armed Recon 16 102 118 23,498 Airlift 156 156 42,373 Air refueling 61 61 11,533 Rescue 26 26 5,367 Total...